Thursday

DEM and the Health Department are advising individuals attending the RI Rhythm and Roots Music Festival this weekend in Charlestown's Ninigret Park to take extra care to avoid mosquito bites.

The Department of Environmental Management and the Rhode Island Department of Health say that two samples of mosquitoes collected on Aug. 19 tested positive for West Nile Virus.

One sample of mosquitoes collected in the Cross Mills area of Charlestown, was a species that can bite both birds and humans, so given the positive finding, DEM and the Health Department are advising individuals attending the RI Rhythm and Roots Music Festival this weekend in Charlestown's Ninigret Park to take extra care to avoid mosquito bites.

The second positive WNV mosquito pool was collected in West Kingston and was a species that feeds exclusively on birds.

The findings are not unexpected at this time of year. Results on the remaining 140 pools of mosquitoes collected on Aug. 19 are pending.

For more information about mosquito-borne diseases, go to DEM's website, or the HEALTH website, for information on Eastern Equine Encephalitis and West Nile Virus.

Never miss a story

Choose the plan that's right for you.
Digital access or digital and print delivery.